Capturing Dacien’s gaze with his own, Saintcrow said, “I want to know the location, now.”
Dacien glared at him, lips compressed, eyes flashing defiance.
“I will not ask you again,” Saintcrow warned.
“It is said to be at the southern peak of the Carpathians.”
“It either is or it isn’t,” Saintcrow snarled.
“I do not know! I have never looked for it.”
Saintcrow held the vampire’s gaze for stretched seconds, then released him and the others. “Get out of here. I don’t want to see any of you again.”
Eyes burning with hatred, Dacien nodded at his companions and they all disappeared.
“Do you believe him?” Kincaid asked.
“No.” Head tilted back, Saintcrow looked toward the southern peak of the mountain range.
“I’m glad we don’t have to walk,” Kadie remarked, taking Rylan’s hand.
Saintcrow glanced at her, his expression grim, and then he smiled. “Me, too,” he said, giving her hand a squeeze. “Let’s go.”
It was cold and windy at the top of the mountain. Standing there, looking down, made Kadie feel like they were the last three people in the world. Tugging on Rylan’s arm, she asked, “How high up are we?”
“About eight thousand feet. Come on, let’s see if we can find this damn cave.”
It took longer than she had expected. There were so many crevices, some shallow, some deep. They went over the top of the mountain and started down the other side and that was when they found it.
Saintcrow came to an abrupt stop about twenty feet from the top. “It’s here,” he said, and began pushing aside a bunch of small rocks and pine needles that looked like they had been there for centuries.
Saintcrow went first, followed by Kadie and then Jake. The inside of the cave was narrow and pitch black but, thanks to her vampire vision, Kadie had no trouble seeing their surroundings. The walls were streaked with all the colors of the rainbow. She heard the drip of water in the distance, wrinkled her nose against the smell as she tried to pinpoint the stink.
They walked over rocky, uneven ground for perhaps a mile. She was beginning to feel claustrophobic when Saintcrow came to a sudden stop.
“What is it?” she asked. And then she saw the bones. Hundreds and hundreds of bones, both animal and human, so old and white they almost glowed in the dark. There were also a couple of decomposing bodies, which accounted for the stink.
“You were right,” Kincaid said. “Dacien knows this place.”
“It’s their graveyard,” Saintcrow remarked. “No wonder he didn’t want us to come here.”
A shiver crawled down Kadie’s spine. “Let’s get out of here.”
Saintcrow stared at the narrow river bed at his feet. It smelled faintly of old blood, but the ground was dry. “Dammit to hell,” he muttered. “Looks like we came on a wild goose chase.”
Kincaid grunted. “Do you suppose Dacien and his compadres drank it dry?”
“I don’t know. It’s possible, I guess.”
“Well, thanks for a fun afternoon,” Kincaid muttered. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Tell Rosa hi for me,” Kadie said. “And tell her I hope her father gets better.”
“Oh, he will,” Kincaid said, with a wink. “I’m sure someone’s already given him a little blood. The old man will home by tomorrow.” A wave of his hand and Jake was gone.
“I’m ready to go home, too,” Kadie said. “I’ve had enough adventure for one day.”
“Yeah.” Saintcrow swore under his breath. He’d been a fool to get his hopes up, he thought glumly. Well, hell, there was no point in standing here feeling sorry for himself. “Come on,” he said, slipping his arm around Kadie’s waist. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”